Darker than Black
by rimelisandre
Summary: As the darkness is slowly crawling towards the top of the world, there is luminance. However, it's rarely found in hearts that are bound to be possessed by the shadows. The thing is, those with such hearts have the light that shines the brightest. This is a story about that kind of light. All rights go to J. K. Rowling for the amazing Harry Potter series.
1. Invisible Jewels

It was cold, blood-freezing to the point of not being able to warm up. The night sky was clear; it seemed as if someone dispersed a bag full of tiny jewels over the velvet cover that spread above the house built in Corinthian style.

A cloaked figure just knocked on the massive door three times and the sound of it ripped the melancholic air around the place. The doors opened immensely fast and a woman wearing a pine green night gown greeted the guest with an astonished look on her face.

'Walburga,' she said. She had extremely intense, dark eyes and her small lips formed a vicious smile. 'Have you heard?'

The woman named Walburga put down her hood and sighed. 'Celeste, to tell you the truth, I've never been more shocked in my entire life. Which tells you a lot, since there's been plenty of... mischief in the House of Black lately.'

Celeste nodded and closed her eyes. 'Thank you for coming,' she said as she hugged Walburga. She leaned back and looked into her friend's eyes. 'Is it really okay for you to leave Sirius?'

'He's going to be alright. I got quite tired of it, actually. Being locked up in that house. I haven't been able to leave Grimmauld Place since his birth and this feels like a vacation.' They both chuckled. It seemed forever since they were able to talk like this.

'Come inside, for heaven's sake,' Celeste said. 'We'll freeze to death.'

The two women walked through the lofty, marble hall and Walburga sighed as she looked around. 'Why is it that your house always radiates this... luminous aura, while you feel like you're suffocating in a dark cave when you enter mine?'

'It's the house of _Black_, Wal. What do you expect?' Celeste grinned. 'But I believe it's the elves' heads. That's rather crude.'

'I miss Hogwarts.' Walburga said while frowning. 'I can't believe it's been 17 years. We're old hags now... 34. That's just horrible.'

They just entered the enormous sitting room as Celeste laughed. 'Make yourself at home, Wal. We'll drink something for the good old days.' she winked at her and noticed that her friend was fixing her long, blond hair in front of the mirror. 'Would you like some wine? It's French. It arrived with... the other package.'

Walburga's face turned pale and she rapidly turned her head and looked at Celeste with horror in her eyes. 'You're telling me... it's true?' she whispered and her mouth remained half-open.

Celeste nodded and looked away. She waved her wand and glasses were filled with red wine. 'It's in the guest room.'

Walburga emptied her glass and shook her head in shock. 'I can't believe it. I never thought Byron would do such a thing.' she whispered, once again. She straightforwardly looked Celeste into her dark, somehow petrifying eyes. 'Do you... want to get rid of it?'

The idea was tempting, you could tell by the look on the dark-haired woman's face. Nobody knows, they suspect and whisper, but only Wal, her best friend, knows the truth. They could say it was an accident, that it was too weak because of its mother.

Luckily, that spine-tingling look disappeared out of Celeste's eyes and she shook her head. 'Wal, the man I loved died. I never got to marry him so I kept our family's name. You know I swore I'd never love another man again.'

'Yes, but that doesn't mean you have to -' Walburga started, but Celeste silenced her. 'My brother died next, and the name of Wright dies with him. He was an idiot and the only thing that he left our House is that filthy varmint that resides and unfortunately still breathes in this house. I will keep it and raise it as its aunt is supposed to. Poor thing, even its disgusting mother thought it was incompetent and rejected it.'

Walburga took another glass of wine and drained it. She stroked her luminescent hair and murmured something to herself, gaze directed somewhere far away. 'It will be our secret,' she whispered. 'I promise.'

That whisper lingered for a while and softly left the room; it climbed the stairs and crawled under the doors. There she was, in a vacant room with stars magically padded on the ceiling, steadily sleeping. A newborn baby girl marked with dark hair and fair skin. Just a tiny half-Veela that brought shame upon her father's family.

And for her, the night was dark. Darker than black.


	2. Ice

Summer days in the year of 1971 passed by quickly. It was already the middle of August when a sudden downpour connected the sky above Keswick and withered grass.

A dark-haired girl watched the rain as it stumbled upon the roses she looked after so carefully. 'Not today.' she whispered to herself and frowned. She fixed her mint green dress and came down to the sitting room, fingers crossed. She noticed a woman sitting in her traveling robes and felt relieved, but she didn't want to disturb her as she was reading the Daily Prophet. Fortunately, the woman noticed her presence.

'Ah, Joyce. Good morning.' Celeste said and turned the page.

'Good morning, auntie.' the girl replied with a smile. She sat on the chair opposite of her aunt's and intensely stared at her. Celeste raised an eyebrow. 'Yes?'

'Well, Auntie, you know, I was wondering -'

'Don't beat around the bush, you know I hate that, Joyce.'

'Yes,' Joyce replied while blushing 'Are we going to the Diagon Alley today?'

Celeste rolled her eyes. 'For heaven's sake, I told you a million times that we'll go on August 17th and you still keep pestering me. Why wouldn't we go?'

'Well, it's raining so I thought -'

'Raining?' Celeste bursted out laughing. 'Raining? Are you a witch or what? Sometimes I wonder _who_ you take after...'

The girl flushed and looked down in embarrassment. Celeste sighed. 'We'll leave after you've finished your breakfast. And tie your hair up in a bun.'

'Thank you, Auntie!' Joyce shouted in excitement and hurried to kiss her aunt on the cheek. Celeste rolled her eyes and smiled.

She glanced towards the mirror after her niece left. The time seemed to have left its trace, mostly around her eyes. Of course, she was perfectly aware that she was never as beautiful as Walburga or Lucretia, but she had her own charms. And there she was, forty-six years old, looking at herself in the mirror and finally being able to accept the misfortune that followed her most of her life. Not in the last couple of years, at least.

After she turned forty, everything's changed. She became aware that she deeply cares for Byron's daughter, no matter how filthy her blood was. That, of course, led to severing the bonds with the person she loved the most, but that was kind of predictable, at least Lucretia saw it coming since she knew Wal her whole life. However, remembering Wal was too painful, especially after all these years. She stood up and stared out the window.

'It was a day just like this one.' she murmured as the single tear fell down her face.

* * *

'Okay, okay! So we've got Crystal Phials, a Pewter and the Scales for my potions,' Joyce started as she started at her list 'the robes, the gloves... Auntie, you've already bought the books, right?'

'Joyce. Yes, yes I did.' Celeste answered, she was annoyed. Her niece was adorable, but so, so tiring.

'Okay, and that leaves the wand, Auntie!' Joyce shouted and grinned. 'Can I go by myself?'

Celeste nodded and leaned onto a wall as Joyce happily strolled towards Ollivanders. Carrying all this stuff was troublesome and she wanted to go home.

Fifteen unbelievably long minutes later, Joyce came out smiling. Celeste chuckled remembering the first time she held her wand.

'Black Walnut, Phoenix Feather, 11 3/4 inches and supple.'

'That's amazing.' Celeste patted her niece on the back and froze at once. She rapidly grabbed Joyce. 'Let's go.'

Joyce was startled and she looked around. She saw a familiar looking woman with a dark-haired boy entering Ollivanders. 'Auntie, who is that?'

But she knew by the look on her aunt's face that her question is going to remain unanswered.

* * *

Joyce opened the compartment door and noticed a girl with braided hair sitting alone. The girl looked at her and blushed.

'Do you mind if I join you?' Joyce asked and smiled. The girl nodded, so she sat opposite of her and offered her a handshake. 'My name is Joyce Wright, but you can call me Joy.'

The girl blushed even more and they shook hands. 'I'm Mary Macdonald. It's nice to meet you.' she said quietly.

The train started moving and Joyce looked around the compartment. 'I hope it's going to be a pleasant ride.' she said and Mary nodded. 'Are you thrilled?'

'Actually, I...' Mary looked away. 'I'm really scared. You see, my parents are Muggles, so I don't know much about either magic or Hogwarts. And I saw some girls around my age at the station and they seemed to know each other. I approached them, and they looked at me, and... they walked away.' Mary seemed on the verge of tears.

'That was very rude of them,' Joy said as her eyebrows raised. 'But don't worry, Mary, I'm from a wizard family and even I don't know anyone. Let's be friends!'

Mary looked at her and smiled for the first time; it felt like her anxiety disappeared just by looking at the dark-haired girl's eyes - they were the color of the ocean which made Mary remember home.

'Um, Joy, I was wondering what house could I be sorted into if my parents are Muggles. Do you know?'

'Ah, my Auntie said that it doesn't matter.' Joy scratched her nose. 'But I suppose you can't be in Slytherin.'

'Don't let it bother you, Severus.'

'They just called me _Snivellus_!'

At that exact moment, the door slid open and the girl with dark red hair peeped in. 'Would it be okay if my friend and I join you? The people in the other compartment were horrible.'

'Please, come in.' Mary said, rather cheerfully. 'I'm Mary Macdonald.' Joyce looked at her rather confused.

'I'm Lily Evans.' the girl said and shook hands with Mary. She turned to Joyce who greeted her. 'This is Severus, my childhood friend.'

The boy with black hair and thin face came in and sat next to Mary. 'My name is Severus Snape.' Lily looked at him worryingly.

'What happened?' Joyce asked. They described what happened in the compartment with some rude boys who insulted Snape and said they'd leave Hogwarts if they were sorted into Slytherin.

'What's wrong with Slytherin?' Mary asked with a puzzled look on her face.

'Nothing!' both Severus and Joyce shouted at the same time, and it felt as if there was some sort of understanding between them which Lily undoubtedly noticed.

'It's just that they are a bit...' Joy started and looked at Severus.

'_Picky_.' he claimed.

The rest of their travel went fast. They discussed pretty much everything they knew about Hogwarts, which made Mary feel a bit more comfortable. The whole time, however, even when the Sorting Ceremony had already started, the only thing that Joyce hoped for was that all four of them ended up in Slytherin.

But as it turned out, both Lily and Mary ended up in Gryffindor and suddenly it was Severus' turn. '_Slytherin!_' the Sorting Hat cried. Severus walked away, without even looking back at Lily. Joyce's heart throbbed.

'Wright, Joyce!' Professor McGonagall called and she sat down upon the stool. The Sorting Hat fell down her head and she heard him thinking. 'Witty, has an extraordinary wish to prove herself... very daring, oh yes. I'll put you in - _Gryffindor!_'

Joyce gave the hat back to Professor McGonagall and walked towards the Gryffindor table. She said next to Mary who hugged her. 'We're together!' she exclaimed and clapped. Joy looked towards the Slytherin table and found that Severus turned his back on them.

And then she saw him. He was sitting right next to Lily and laughed about something the boy with the messy hair said. His grey eyes caught her blue, and she forgot all about Gryffindor, Slytherin, Severus and the disappointment her aunt will feel. They were grey, grey and cold as ice.


	3. Dormitory

When Joyce Wright opened her eyes that morning, she assumed it was still early. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and realized her premonition was precise. It was their first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and she felt excited.

She got up and started rumbling around to find the timetable which made Erin Blackwell wake up. Erin was a fellow Gryffindor with whom, along with Mary and Lily, Joy shared the dormitory.

'What time is it?' Erin asked and streched.

'It's a quarter past six.' Joy replied, now checking under her bed. 'The breakfast starts at 7:30 AM so I was planning to wake you up in fifteen minutes. I'm sorry, Erin.'

'Nah, it's okay.' Erin replied as she removed a tress of her brown hair off her face. 'I'm a morning person.'

They heard someone sighing in the direction of Lily's bed. Apparently, the two girls weren't really quiet. 'What's wrong with the two of you? Why aren't you sleeping?' Lily muttered with a bothered look.

'What's our first period?' Erin asked, completely ignoring Lily, when she noticed Joy finally got her hands on the timetable.

'Today we have Charms and Transfiguration.' she replied.

'Good, as long as it's not Potions.' Erin said and rolled her eyes. She got up and started to change. 'I shared the compartment with some second year Hufflepuffs yesterday and the only thing they talked about was their enormous wish to get into the Slug club.'

'What's that?' Mary asked and both Joy and Erin looked at her. She was completely dressed and ready to go.

'When did _you_ wake up?' Joy asked with a great deal of volume, still wearing her nightgown. 'You even braided your hair!'

'A while ago.' Mary replied and hurried to wake Lily. 'So, what's the Slug Club?'

'No.' Lily protested and grasped the covers. 'Let go of me, you monster.'

Erin sighed. 'Horace Slughorn, the Potions master, likes to surround himself with students who possess either talent, fame or good connections so he formed the Slug Club. My sister said they have amazing Christmas parties. She graduated last year and noted that I absolutely must get in.'

'Are you gonna do it?' Joyce asked.

'I highly doubt it.' Erin said and turned her back, shutting herself out entirely.

That morning, the four girls entered the Great Hall together and were one of the first to do so. Luckily, breakfast was served early so they hurried to find the Charms classroom as soon as they finished eating.

Out of the all mandatory classes, Joyce feared Charms the most. Surprisingly, she was the first student in the classroom who was able to do a Levitation Charm and earned 10 points to Gryffindor. She was brilliant in Transfiguration as well. But, she wasn't the only one.

'Why?' Erin shouted as they were approaching the common room. 'Why are the two of you so great?'

Lily blushed. 'It was just luck, I guess?'

'Yeah, right.' Erin gave them a black look. 'You did that Winguardium Laviosa thing on the first try, Joyce! And McGonagall praised you Lily. She _praised_ you!'

'First of all, it's not Laviosa.' Joy said, kind of worried. 'Maybe you didn't hear the incantation right.'

'I don't care!' Erin shouted and glared at the Fat Lady. 'What's the password again?'

'_Eo nomine_.' said a gentle voice. They turned around and Joy recognized the boy with light brown hair who was sitting behind her today at Transfiguration. The portrait revealed the passage to the Gryffindor Common Room and he got ahead of them. 'My name is Remus Lupin.' he said as he turned to face them before entering. 'Have you seen Potter or Black?'

'No,' Lily started 'and I hope we won't!' She flushed and hurried to the Common Room. Erin shrugged and they followed her to the dormitory. Lily was furiously staring at the ceiling. The three of them stood at the entrance, afraid to utter a word.

'Potter and Black!' Lily yelled and Mary jumped, startled. 'They are those monkeys who insulted Severus in the compartment yesterday. I told you about them.'

'B-but Lily, aren't they in Gryffindor as well?' Mary looked at her worryingly. 'Is it really okay to treat them badly because of one little mistake? And that boy, Remus Lupin, seemed so-'

'One _little_ mistake?' Lily seemed even more furious. Her face was almost as red as her hair. 'Mary, I don't know what exactly were you doing today, but-'

'Lily!' Erin interrupted her, quite mad. 'I don't care how you plan on treating them. I'm on your side. But there's absolutely no reason for you to take your anger out on Mary or either one of us. You're actually pissed because that Slytherin boy ignored you today, first during the breakfast. The second time was when we were changing classrooms and the third time was after lunch.'

Lily was stunned. She looked down, mortified, and started to cry. Erin was the first one to hug her, Mary joined afterwards. Joyce stood there and silently watched over them.

'I'm sorry.' Lily sobbed. 'It-it's just that it makes me so sad because he's my best f-friend and h-he is in Slytherin. I d-don't really care... b-but he does. I bet it's because of the t-thing Potter said.'

'It might be.' Mary said and stroked Lily's hair. 'But you won't know until you ask him, right?'

Lily nodded and glanced towards Joy. 'Are you mad at me?'

'No.' Joyce replied and hurried to join the group hug. 'It's just that I never thought you were able to shout this much.'

The four of them laughed, still embraced. 'I was watching them the whole day.' Lily whispered and wiped her face. 'Haven't you guys noticed how they behave?'

'Overconfident.' Mary noted.

'Well, I didn't.' Erin added.

_Fascinating_, Joyce thought and looked away. Noticed? She was watching him, absorbing every single move he made. Sirius Black.

* * *

'No, no, no.' Erin said as they entered the very large classroom with the stone basin in the corner. 'I don't want to.'

'Come on, it'll be fun!' Lily exclaimed when they approached one of many large tables. This was their first Potions class and she seemed very excited. Joyce looked around and noticed Severus Snape in the back.

'Look at him, he's so fat.' Erin whispered and waved her head towards Horace Slughorn. Mary and Joy giggled.

After professor Slughorn's introduction, he started the lecture about bezoars and wolfsbane. When the second period ended, Lily hurried to catch up with Severus who was already at the end of the hallway.

'I hope it goes well.' Mary said and smiled, but the smile faded as soon as one of the Slytherin boys bumped into her. The group laughed and strolled away.

Erin glanced at them. 'Don't let it bother you. That Wilkes boy, who bumped into you, wet himself when we were playing hide-and-seek last summer. And the other one, Mulciber, is a real crybaby.' she said and took Mary's hand. 'Let's go.'

The three of them enjoyed themselves under the beech tree the whole afternoon. It was quite sunny and Mary was smiling the whole time. Joy couldn't believe that it was the same worried girl she met in Hogwarts Express merely two days ago.

'I love being here.' Mary said with an enormous smile on her face. 'What about you, Joy?'

'Yeah.' Joyce replied. 'I just hope the weather will be this nice for a bit longer.'

Three days later, it started raining. Days kept on passing by and bad weather was their companion throughout October and November. Homework piled up and there were many nights when Joyce chose writing essays and practicing spells over sleep.

It was the middle of December when James Potter and Sirius Black nearly got expelled because they were messing around with Archie, the gamekeeper, while he was bringing the twelve Christmas trees to the Great Hall.

'Serves them right.' Lily muttered while packing. 'Too bad all they got was detention.'

'But we lost 50 points because of them.' Mary noted.

'Oh, please. Joyce and I earn them ourselves in two days.'

Erin smirked. 'Arrogant, aren't we?'

The girls laughed and Joy felt her heart throb. It'll be three weeks until they're be able to see each other again.

'I'll miss you.' she said and they all embraced, just like on the second day they spent together. A beautiful friendship was created during the last few months and all four of them hoped that it would last for a lifetime.


	4. Changes

Joyce was on her way to the Training Grounds Tower when she noticed someone was following her. She turned around and saw Severus Snape carrying a pile of books.

'Hello, Severus.' she stopped and greeted him. 'I'm on my way to the library, do you need help with that?'

He nodded. '_Wingardium Leviosa_.' she said and the books flew into the air and moved after her.

'I totally didn't think of that.' Severus said, looking ashamed.

'You seem totally out of it, Sev.' Joyce noted. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing.'

'Really?' she raised an eyebrow and gave him a little nudge. 'You can tell me.'

He sighed. 'I'm worried about Lily. She spends way too much time at the Quidditch pitch.'

'But Erin is a Chaser now, Lily is being supportive and cheers for her when she has practice.'

'Why aren't _you_ being supportive?' Severus raised his voice. 'She's probably just looking at Potter.'

'You're just jealous.' she sneered at him. 'Lower your voice, we're almost there.'

He had a grim expression and they separated upon reaching their destination. Joyce grabbed _Extreme Incantations_, a spellbook written by Professor Violeta Stitch. She heard they were supposed to read it throughout the summer holidays before the third year so that they could learn _Lumos_ Charm, so she decided to read it before Easter holidays.

'Wand-Lighting Charm already?' Remus Lupin said as he sat next to her. He looked a bit unwell.

'I was bored, Remus.' Joy replied and turned the page. 'I've finished the essay on the use of bat spleens in the Swelling Solution and now I have nothing to do. Mary and Lily are watching Erin's practice.'

He nodded. 'So are Sirius and Peter. James is working really hard, you know. I really don't know why the four of you act so distant towards them. It will be bad for the team, with both Erin and James in it.'

'I agree, but I don't really care.' she said and looked directly into his green eyes. 'Are you feeling all right lately? You look really sick.'

He looked away. 'I might get sick again.'

Joyce sighed and they remained silent. The smell of books was something they were both fond of and they stayed in the library until sunset. On the way back to the Common Room, Remus staggered so she grabbed his arm and let him lean against her.

'What are you doing?' they heard an irritated voice in front of them and Joyce froze when she looked up and saw Sirius' bitter face. 'Let's go Remus. _Quid agis_.' he said to the Fat Lady and they walked inside, leaving Joy alone.

Upon entering the dormitory, she felt relieved it was empty because she noticed her aunt's owl was waiting for the window to be opened. There was a letter attached to the owl's leg.

_Dear Joy,_

_I'm sorry for the sudden notice, but you can't come home for the holidays. There's something I need to take care of. Also, this may be a bit upsetting, there's no way you can go to Cokeworth this summer._

_Please inform your friends in advance. A little hint: the fact that you speak French fluently will be of great use. I'll tell you the details when you come home._

_Did you finally win over Professor Slughorn's affection? Well, it doesn't matter, as long as you don't let that Evans girl beat you in any other subject._

_ Love,_  
_ Celeste_

Joyce Wright re-read the letter and started to feel vexed because she heard people laughing in the Common Room. She crammed the piece of paper and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

The heat exhausted the dark-haired girl so much she felt like she was about to lose consciousness. When Joyce finally spotted the mansion, it was already noon and the sun rays seemed a bit cruel.

She noticed a blond girl that was around her age waving from the balcony. The girl disappeared and a couple of moments later the doors opened. A beautiful woman walked out and waved her wand. The iron gates opened and Joy found herself walking through a breathtaking garden.

'My name is Thalia.' the woman said and waved her gorgeous, white-gold hair. The girl from before just came down and smiled. 'And this is Apolline, your sister.'

Joy nodded and forced herself to smile back. 'My name is Joyce Wright, I'm very pleased to meet you.'

'Your aunt told you the circumstances, I assume?' Thalia asked.

'Yes.' Joy answered. 'But she didn't go much into details, she said that you want to tell me about it yourself.'

'She was right. Now, come inside.'

The three of them walked into the living room and Thalia served tea. Joyce couldn't help but notice that she felt rage. The pictures, the drawings on the fridge, the flowers. Every single item in the room made her hatred grow larger. This was a home that she could've had.

'First of all, I would like to apologize,' Thalia started. 'It was my own selfishness that made you grow up with your aunt. I made a wrong choice.' She frowned.

'I believe your choice was right.' Joy said. 'There's nothing more that you could've given me that she hasn't.'

'There is. Education. You need to know more about me and about yourself. I'm a Veela, which makes you a half-Veela. You will change in the near future and you need to know why. Celeste can't give you any information, but I can.'

Joyce glared at her, furious. 'Do it fast so I can leave. I made plans and you ruined them. It seems as if that's the only thing you ever do.'

Thalia looked at her. 'You are staying in France for the whole summer. Your aunt and I have an agreement.' She got up and stroked Joy's hair. 'I had to give you away because of this dark color. It's a bad omen for a half-Veela to have hair like this.'

'Blame yourself, blame my father.' Joy started. 'But just please tell me what exactly do you want from me.'

'I want you to listen.' Thalia looked at her daughter and Apolline got up and left the room, disappointed. 'All Veela are very attractive to males; it's not just our looks, but our dance as well. Your father and I were together for a short amount of time. There were other men, of course. Apolline's father, for example.'

'But if I'm a half-Veela, why isn't he - I mean, why aren't the boys in my school attracted to me?' Joy asked.

'I gained some pretty useful information regarding that matter. It appears that both you and Apolline will gain some of my magic around the age of thirteen and fourteen. You'll be turning fourteen this Christmas, so I wanted to inform you before the changes happen.'

Joyce looked at her in disbelief. 'So if a boy likes me, it will be just because a part of me is Veela?'

Thalia smiled. 'That's completely for you to decide.'


End file.
